The election battle: The lesson of the Likud began with Begin and continues with Netanyahu

An opinion column examining the psychological connection between Likud leaders Menachem Begin and Benjamin Netanyahu and their voters. The writer argues that identification with Netanyahu stems not only from similarity but from a desire for a leader who embodies an ideal version of the group. She cites a survey by the Israel Democracy Institute finding that 73% of Likud voters do not have an academic degree, and analyzes how Netanyahu simultaneously embodies strength and victimhood.

An opinion column by Liraz Margalit examining the psychological dynamics between Likud leaders Menachem Begin and Benjamin Netanyahu and their voters. The writer opens with a historical anecdote about Begin's speech at Kings of Israel Square in June 1981, after the Alignment used the derogatory term 'Chachachim', and notes that Likud won the subsequent election. She argues that Begin, despite being Ashkenazi and educated, was perceived as outside the establishment due to decades of exclusion. Netanyahu, she says, inherited this connection and built an additional layer upon it. The writer cites a survey by the Israel Democracy Institute finding that 73% of Likud voters do not have an academic degree, and analyzes the gap between the leader and his voters. She argues that identification with Netanyahu is 'aspirational' - the voter identifies with the place that identification allows them to reach, not necessarily with the leader's background. The writer notes that Netanyahu operates a mechanism of strength and victimhood simultaneously, and that for a broad public, tradition, Judaism, and nationalism are genuine values in themselves. She references studies on motivated reasoning, explaining that when a leader becomes part of identity, supportive information is easily accepted and threatening information is viewed with suspicion.